with video

Homemade Burger Buns

Home Made Burger Buns. You know they really aren’t that hard to make. Even if you are new to bread making. Most of the hassle lies in the waiting for the dough to rise. I have made these buns over a dozen times, and they have never failed. I made them in different sizes. With and without sesame seeds, because Nunu is allergic to sesame seeds. The girls like these buns freshly baked with butter too! The buns are soft and chewy with the perfect crumb.

This is an absolutely delicious, melt in your mouth kind of kofta meatball curry. The meatballs can be made of minced mutton or beef. The flavors are subtle and mouth watering. I love to use grape cherry tomatoes for the gravy, blanched and peeled. I don’t know why but I think they give better results than larger tomatoes for this curry. They seem less acidic. The meatballs fall apart and melt in your mouth!! Yum! And the best thing is this curry is so easy to make. Great – served with Rice or Flatbreads. I love it with Chapathi.

If you have ever visited Vietnam, ‘ Pho ‘ ( Pronounced Fur with a silent ‘r’ ), is a staple at the breakfast coffee shops everywhere. It can be had at any time but it’s very popular as a early breakfast dish. The broth is what makes Vietnamese Pho Bo so delicious! It is slow cooked on very low heat all night. It is skimmed to get it as clear as possible, then served over bánh phở noodles or Pho Rice Noodles with some thinly sliced beef and fresh herbs.

In Vietnam you can smell the broth as you ponder near the morning Cafes and you have.’t had Vietnamese food at its best if you haven’t had ‘ Vietnamese Pho Bo ‘ . Pull up the custom Vietnamese plastic stool (seat) and have a bowl of Pho with your Coffee! Do check out how to make Vietnamese Coffee too.

The Rice Noodles for Pho are flat noodles that can be bought fresh or dry. Do not substitute with rice vermicelli. Dried Kway Teow Noodles can be used if you can’t find bánh phở noodles, since they are quite similar.

The true star of this beef noodle soup, is not the beef – it is the lovely broth. There may be quick versions of Vietnamese Pho Bo, but to make it the right way it must be cooked slowly.

I use my Thermal Cooker to make the Vietnamese Pho Bo. I bring the broth to a rolling boil. Put the stock put inside my Thermal Cooker, and shut it for a few hours, open it up and bring it to a boil again. Then I put it back in the Thermal cooker. I will repeat this once more and then leave it overnight to serve the next day over the bánh phở noodles, sliced beef and fresh herbs.

Dried bánh phở noodles

Vietnamese Pho Bo – Rice Noodles in Slow Cooked Beef Broth

Kerala Chicken Curry – ‘ThattuKada Chicken Curry’

This is a nice and spicy Kerala Nadan Chicken Curry. You can make it as spicy as you like or cut down on the chilli flakes to keep the heat to a medium. My recipe for Thattuakada Chicken Curry is only moderately spiced. ‘Thattukada’– The typical Street Hawkers of Kerala often fry the chicken that has been marinating the night before lightly before making their curries. Thattukada Curries and dishes are often soo tasty! I have only been lucky to try these dishes a few times in my life, while I was younger and traveling. If you do get the chance to travel to Kerala, I urge you to take a chance on the Humble ‘Thattukada’ and not to be too prissy about it! :). Scroll down for Video.

Kerala Chicken Curry – ‘ ThattuKada Chicken Curry ‘

Simple and Tasty Green Peas Curry

A truly simple but tasty dish. This Green Peas Curry is great served with Indian Bread like Paratha, Bature, Chapathi or Naan. It’s also yummy with Aappam, Idiyappam orr Puttu. My favorite is Green Peas and Paratha.

It is a flavorsome curry and great for a quick and lazy weekend breakfastRead More

Special Yang Chow Fried Rice – ‘Yang Zhou Chao Fan’ with Shrimp

Yang Chow (Yeung Chow) Fried Rice is a speciality Chinese Wok Fried Rice that is popular in Asia and Western Countries as well.

Legend has it that the Emperor Yangdi of the Sui Dynasty, accompanied by General Yang Su visited the Jiangdu province, which is known as Yang Zhou now. The General is said to have loved ‘Suijin Rice’ – the classic Egg Fried Rice and introduced it to the chefs there. This ‘original fried rice’ was developed to make use of leftover rice to make a warm meal, thus preventing wastage of rice as well as turning out to be very tasty.

The Jianjgdu Chefs then reinvented it , adding all sorts of other ingredients. The addition of egg however is essential.

Some chefs will scramble the egg first and then set aside, to later introduce it into the fried rice mixture. Others will add the rice to the half scrambled egg and continue to fry the rice at high heat, tossing continuously so that each grain of rice is colored with egg.

Most Fried Rice dishes all over the world are spin offs of this ‘original’ Chinese dish!

This variety of Yang Chow Fried Rice is based on Shrimp as the main flavor factor, although it contains diced franfurters, egg and seafood sticks as well. It is extremely easy to prepare and gets a meal on the table on those overwhelming days, without too much effort.Read More

Paneer Butter Masala / Paneer Makhani

Paneer Butter Masala and Paneer Makhani are often seen on the A la Carte Menus at Indian Restaurants. Although every dish may vary, these two are basically the same. Paneer Butter Masala, as the name implies is Cottage Cheese Cubes (Paneer), cooked in a spiced (Masala) Tomato based curry that begins with melting butter. It may also contain cream. Paneer Makhani translates to being Butter Paneer also.

There is another even richer dish, Shahi Paneer, which incorporates cashewnut paste, thus making it more regal for the kings (Shah’s) and hence the name. I will post that recipe later.

For now this is my EASY Paneer Butter Masala, the type they serve at a buffet, more gravy, no chunky vegetables. And often the paneer is lightly fried before adding to the gravy. You can also add chopped onion and capsicum to this dish to give it a change. However this is pretty good plain. We love it with Naan or Paratha.Read More

Indian Chicken Curry

When it comes to a great Chicken Curry that is loved by all, this one fits the bill to perfection. I call it the All India Chicken Curry! There are curries that are distinctly North Indian and there are those that are unmistakably South Indian. Many people will be in the mood for this or that. However, this curry is certain to please the masses, whether your in the mood for North, South, East or West. The use of milder Chili Powder or Paprika also makes it more Globally appealing as well. The curry is of a thicker consistency, gravy coating the chicken sublimely. Potatoes are optional. Check out the video on how to make the ultimate Indian Chicken Curry!Read More

Cheng Tng Recipe

Cheng Tng is a very popular dessert that is available in almost every Hawkers Centre in Singapore.There is a similar dessert in Vietnam called Ching bo leung. It is a good choice for the health conscious, as it combines an array of healthy, dry ingredients that are boiled in a sweet soup-like dessert that is sweetened with rock sugar. There are a variety of ingredients that may be used, and you can add or omit according to your personal preference or availability of ingredients.

Good Old Fashioned Pancakes

Nunu is in the kitchen with her older sis, this time learning how to make Pancakes. Good Old Fashioned Pancakes!

So easy to make – Served with Maple Syrup and Butter. The girls had a great time making the batter by themselves and even tried a hand at cooking them. Great recipe for young children to develop a love for cooking.

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